Unleash the Monkey Army

Let's recap. Ever a glutton for punishment, I allowed myself to get talked into entering an indoor rowing competition.  The appeal? I'd heard they've a great atmosphere, it would give me a target to work towards and it would be a chance to chance my arm in a pond slightly bigger than my utility room! I've never been that dedicated to, or hot on the erg [indoor rower]. And over the recent years have not invested a lot of time and energy into developing my fitness. Granted, I completed the burpee year but between April and 1st June, when I started the rower ladder, I did nothing which didn't look like picking something up and putting it down again (and, in truth, precious little of that)! In fact, it was that ladder and starting the dog days of summer  that led to the suggestion being made to me. So there I was, the day after my 2nd ever Strongman event, logging on, entering my payment details before thinking "Oh nuts, what have I done now?!" (n...

I've noticed something int he lads I train over the years. Well, I've noticed many things but for their peace of mind I'm going to keep this piece about the burpees! It is the same thing that I have seen in a lot of photos on the internet of people doing burpees. Instructional pictures are quite clear, the finishing position is upright. Sounds straightforward enough (or straightuppish enough) but as with many thing in life, it is not always as straightforward as the textbooks would have you believe. I've said before, I'm not actually that bothered about whether you finish your burpee with a jump or with your hands overhead or at your sides. As long as you finish upright, I'm a happy bunny (everything is relative). What I see a lot of though, is the tendency to fail to open the hips at the top of the movement, and that is what I am talking about. I think it comes about because the head does not lead (and I mean that in both senses). And, the individua...

I've spoken before about the first 50 burpees or so being sucky. That doesn't appear to be getting any better. But that's fine. In lieu of a warm-up what else can it be? There are some nights where te biggest challenge (not necessarily the hardest physically) is the first burpee, possibly the first two. Just breaking the seal on the session seems to be an enormous hurdle. Doing them at home, it is remarkable just how many things can suddenly be both interesting and important! Starting is key! Those extraneous things can (and do) still get done/moved/taken out of the fridge/washed up/folded during the rest intervals. But without starting, they will derail you as surely as a girder across a railway line. Now I am not saying that it is all plain sailing from there on. That would be a lie! There are some nights where the burpees are laboured and sluggish. Nights where I feel every moment of my nearly 37 years plus another 50 of somebody else's! Mind you, there are other nig...